Pigskin Preview: Riverside football focused on building winning program

Micaela Dea, St. Joseph News-Press, Mo.
·2 min read

Sep. 2—WATHENA, Kan. — It all began in 2019 when the Cyclones earned their first winning record in five years.

In Bryde Paden's first year at the helm, Riverside football finished with a 6-3 record. But building a successful program takes time, and Paden knows that.

"Wins and losses, they kind of come and go, but we need to get our program back on track," Paden said.

Now coming off a 4-5 season, the Cyclones know they have to hit the ground running in 2021.

"We don't have as many kids out this year. So we're looking to just improve every single day, and get the kids' mindsets right for this year, and in the years to come."

With around 20 players on the squad for this season, Paden has seen the group's resilience.

"We've talked every day about getting better every single day," Paden said. "We got a bunch of young kids and kids that are a little bit older that are finally getting their chance. So there's a lot of improvement that's going on each and every day, and that's very important to us."

Despite the lack of depth, the Cyclones will be led by returning starting quarterback Kobe Davis for his third and final season under center.

"I hope I can show what we had that 2019 season in my sophomore year. I hope that I can go out there and just produce like I have been and keep it up and hopefully get an above .500 record this year," Davis said.

Paden added Davis is pushing the team towards success day in and day out.

"He's leading these young kids the way he should," Paden said. "He's been a really big help for us."

Even with the low turnout in his third season guiding the team, Paden believes the future of the program is bright.

"The kids haven't missed a bunch of practices, like we've seen in the years past, and maybe that is because of low numbers, but we got the ones that want to be here and that want to work hard and I think that's where we're going," Paden.

Set to compete with a new-look squad, the Cyclones look to return to their winning ways.

"I hope we can win more games than we lose, hopefully," Davis said. "Obviously I want to be confident and know that we can win, but we have a tough schedule. I just hope we can go out there and win the games we should win and maybe surprise a couple teams."

Riverside kicks off its season on the road versus Royal Valley on Friday, Sept. 3.

Micaela Dea can be reached at micaela.dea@newspressnow.com.

Follow her on Twitter: @NPNowDea